How to Crush The Interview for your dream job
This is where the magic happens. This is what it all comes down to. Showtime.
Interviews are terrifying for most people. You’re being judged, analyzed, assessed, and compared. Whether you’re interviewing for grad school, your dream job, or you’re going to dinner with someone you respect, I want to relay some of my learnings from both ends of the table, to help you go into interview scenarios confidently.
It’s literally a performance. It’s an opportunity for you to communicate, as effectively as possible, why YOU are the person, above all else, who will move their organization in the direction they desire. Like all performances, this one will take preparation, research, and perhaps most importantly, practice.
Know Yourself: Be prepared to talk about yourself in depth. You know you better than anyone, but many people will need to sit down and assess themself thoroughly to be ready to interview. Every question is a sales pitch of your capability to improve their business more than anyone else. This sounds obvious but a large number of people I’ve interviewed are not prepared to do most of the talking. Sure, some interviews are conversational and I encourage you to mentally visualize it as a conversation to ease the tension but you should be prepared to be doing the talking.
Excited > Nervous: you should reframe your nervousness as excitement. The vast majority of people will be nervous to some degree going into an interview. For some, this pressure is crippling. The physiological response to both emotions is identical, but the communication result of an excited mindset versus a nervous one is night and day. You will smile more, speak more passionately, and relay your story more eloquently if you are excited over nervous. It can be very helpful to mention how excited you are in the beginning of the interview. “Sorry if I seem overly energetic, I am just very excited for this opportunity.”
Personal Brand: Employers WILL research you on all available and easily accessible platforms. Especially social media. Establish a personal brand and prioritize the traits you want to exude. Curate your online content to reinforce your personal brand. Remove all content that’s not in line with the prioritized traits. Be an expert in your desired path, on and off the field. Perhaps most important of all, update your LinkedIn. While at Red Bull I would usually check a candidates Instagram, Facebook, and Linkedin, in that order. IG was a rough gauge of professionalism, and LinkedIn sealed the deal for moving them on to a phone interview.
Appearance: Match the qualities of your personal brand with the qualities of the company’s brand. Interviews are a game of social psychology. If the interviewer can imagine you in the role, and I mean physically, emotionally, mentally picture YOU in the shoes of the job you’re applying for, that is the goal. This varies by industry but some jobs require a very specific person, and you want to fit that mold as accurately as possible. For example, if people arrived to a Red Bull job interview overly dressed, I knew that they did not understand the individuality of the brand. On the other hand, while managing a landscape company, a guy showed up in white pants and brand new Jordans, and I knew it wouldn’t work out.
Communication: Verbal language is less than 10% of communication. Make eye contact, Smile, follow a routine to calm your nerves, remind yourself why you are excited (not nervous), high energy is not bad, it’s rare. Be yourself, you don’t want them hiring someone you’re not, afterall, you can’t fake a persona long term. It also helps take the pressure to perform away if you are confident and comfortable in your own skin.
Knowledge: Know the business, it’s history, the brand traits, what makes it unique. Have some quick facts on deck: market share, competitors, age of company, the basics are obvious but take a deeper dive into the company, history, their mission statement, product promise, and the people who make it function, and that will go a long way.
Slip these bits of knowledge into your answers to show that you did deeper research than any other candidate. passion & drive. For example, when asked “Why do you feel like you are a good fit for this role” (which is really the underlying question in every job interview question) you could say “I feel very passionate about the mission and foundational values that the CEO Jim Jimmerson founded this company on in 1979: Innovation, Social Cause, and Kindness to people. My experience with ___ has exhibited my desire to parallel these priorities in my own career, and I would love to elaborate on my accomplishments in that segment of my career.”
Know the consumer: Who’s the client, what are you selling / marketing, what fuels the business, show you’re an expect on them. Even build consumer profiles by imagining the stereotypical person you’re selling to. A 1 slide powerpoint for each of your stereotypical clients or consumers can go a long way in proving that you know the consumer thoroughly. How the consumer interacts with digital platforms is increasingly important as well.
Know the territory where the role is based and responsible for. Have some factual examples prepared to show that you know the landscape of the business, by knowing what makes the area tick. Prevalent industries, population, demographics, issues, landmarks, history, local leaders and influencers, and beyond.
Know the organizational hierarchy and who you would be working above and below and what their priorities are and how you can help them succeed. Can you verbally recite the job description of your superior and their superior with no reference? Do it!
Envision: Talk about your qualifications for the specific role, tailor your answers while thinking from the mindset of the interviewer. If you were interviewing for the role, what qualities would you prioritize in candidates?
Anticipate predictable questions, then prepare for the unexpected as well, 10 B+ answers are better than 8 A+ and 2 Fs. You’re trying to build trust, and trust is like fine china: difficult to create, easy to destroy.
Mirror and Use the jargon and industry language to allow the interviewer to imagine you in the position already. Talk the talk. You want them to think, ‘wow, that’s fairly technical knowledge on our industry, I’m surprised and impressed that they know that’
Practice practice practice, do mock interviews with people who are not your friends and family. You play like you practice.
Professional Story Telling: Prioritize your life and career STORIES in order of how effective they are at relaying your expertise or answering a scenario question. Interviews are a story telling sales pitch. You’re utilizing your experiences to convince someone that you will elevate their strategic priorities. You’re trying to be memorable. You will be remembered by the way you make people FEEL. You will make them FEEL, by helping them imagine the scenarios that you have been involved in personally and professionally. Don’t get carried away with this, but be engaged and passionate about the examples you give. If you can’t relay your information with conviction, you should reassess your “professional stories”. You can even go as far as listing your professional stories in order of how excited you are to talk about them, and then list the topics that each story could relate to. For example, I can talk about my experiences living on a sailboat to anyone at anytime, with a lot of passion. Even though it is not the most directly correlated experience to my career, I can relate my sailing experience to a wide variety of topics: “How have you worked with a team, Tell me a time when you overcame a challenge, When have you had to problem solve under high pressure”. This professional story is unique, interesting, and memorable which all work in my favor if my story is relevant to the question being asked.
Do informational interviews with people knowledgeable in the industry, get the inside scoop. This is the only way to get a feel for the environment of the office, business, organization, and it’s people. The quality of information you receive will be a direct reflection of the quality of questions you ask.
Visual References: Some people assume that portfolios are only for artists and designers, but they could not be more incorrect. Any physical example you can provide to vouch for your work, is worthwhile. The whole goal of this process is to verbally articulate your experiences and skills to convince the hiring manager that you are the person to take their business to the next level. A visual reference gives legitimacy to your claims, and gives an aesthetically pleasing visualization to help the imagination of the interviewer to picture your accomplishment, which will in turn make them visualize you in the role you’re applying for. If nothing else, it gives you a reference so you don’t forget to cover something. Think about it as your cheat sheet, your script, your teleprompter, and your ammunition.
I used a printed portfolio of my experiences and accomplishments going into my Red Bull interviews and it helped me stand out tremendously. It’s essentially a visual version of your resume. I ordered the sections of the portfolio by priority of skills the job would require: Management, Marketing, Sales, Project Management, Events, and Creative Examples, in that order. I included my resume and cover letter, and an entire section of printed and signed letters of recommendation by respectable professionals. I had extra copies of everything in case they wanted to keep anything to review. It was all housed in a professional leather binder with a cover page.
Another example is to create a powerpoint presentation or a video. I had an employee ask if they could create a video to supplement their interview, and who am I to limit their creativity. He got hired. Think outside the box and go above and beyond and you WILL get the job.
Have your post-interview questions stacked. I’ve had interviews go terrific, but if someone does not have questions for me, it’s a sign that they are not resourceful.
What are the top strategic priorities for this role for the next 3-6 months
Where do you feel like my skill gaps are, if any
The Close: You can absolutely crush your interview, but what’s the best way to end the conversation?… With a job offer! You want to leave on a high note that gives the interviewer no doubt that your personality, skills, and passion are unrivaled by any other candidate. You could say something along the lines of “I have a good understanding of this role and I am confident that I can add value to (the organization) if given the opportunity. I have a proven track record in the areas required to succeed in this role. Do you have any hesitations moving forward with me at this point?” This takes a lot of confidence and you have to know that you’re qualified, but this is the ideal way to wrap up the interview because the interviewer will either shed light on your short comings, which you can then elaborate on, or offer you the job. Hopefully.
In conclusion: It’s all about standing out from the crowd, reassuring the hiring manager that you are the person to make their business excel. The little things make a big difference. Ie. Physical Portfolio, printed resume, write a physical thank you note after, be the first to interview, discuss an idea that the manager has posted publicly or is passionate about. Go above and beyond, approach it as if it’s the most important priority in your life at the moment, and you WILL GET THE JOB.
Good luck!